Apparatus for dephlegmation



Feb. 9, 1932. N. s. OLSEN 1,344,477

APPARATUS FOR DEPHLEGNATION Filed July 11. 1927 Patented Feb, 9, 1932 ESPATENT OFFICE ldliiidllhl, or BROUKLYN, NEW YQJRK, ASSIGNOZR TOUNIVERSAL OIL PROD'UUTB @flMTBAlNY, DIE GSHICAGU, lLLfNtlIfi, A.@ORZPOBATIUN 01? SOUTH DAKOTA .erranarus son. nnrntnnomrron'itpplioati'on filed July it, 1927. Serial No, 204,888,

The present improvements relate more particularly to apparatus for thedephlegination. of vapors whereby those not of the desiredcharacteristics are condensed and sep u arated from those "Which are ofthe desired characteristics,those not of the desired characteristicsheing returned, if desired, for retreatment.

The present invention is applicable to the W dephleguiation of vapors ofany sort, and in one specific embodiment it is particularly applicahleto the dephlegination of hvdrocar hon oil vapors produced in thecracking or distillation of hydrocarhon oil.

it in order to secure efhcient fractionation of crached h vdrocarhon oilvapors it has heen found advantageous to provide a process and p r in"Wlllfih, first, there is maximum nnate contact hetvveen vapors andliquid,

l second, the maintenance of a pool of stages in the dephlegmating yvvherehv light fractions enin the liquid have an opportunity in,released.

lee present; invention is particularly dened to provide for intimatecontact he-- een liquid and vapors and the maintenance or pool or poolsof liquid.

L. feature of the present invention, there ded horizontally disposeddephlegerein the vapors are successively ed 30 have a haclr and forthtravel and l in the vapors huhhle through a pool liquid during saidhaclrand forth travel. ring the travel of the vapors through theuephlegmating instrumentalitv these vapors not having the desiredcharacteristics will he condensed as reflux condensate, while thosewhich have heen suiliciently converted will removed and collected as thedesired product.

objects of the present inven-- tion is to provide a process wherein theva pors are forced to pass repeatedly through a the reflux condensate toany desired portion 50 of the body of liquid maintained in thedephlegmator. l also provide for the withdravval of reflux condensate atseparated points longitudinally of the dephlegmating instrumentalitywhereby certain portions of the reflux condensate produced by the dophlegrnation may he Withdrawn and diverted from the process, forinstance, such retina condensate may be diverted to storage.

The utility as Well as other ohjects and advantages of the inventionWill he more particularlv hrought out in the following de scription.

ln the dravving, the single ligure is a diagranunatic elevational viewWltll parts in vettical section. of apparatus in which the in ventionmay he carried out in the cracking of hydrocarbon oils as practicedtoday, one of the essential features of a successful process resides inthe efhcient dephlegination or fractionation of the cracked vapors so asto secure a separation of the sufficiently cracked fractions ("which aresubsequently condensed and collected as the desired product) from thoseWhich are insuficientlv cracked. 'lhese lighter vapors, duringdephlegmation, are condensed and preferahly returned to the heating zonefor retreatnaent combined, if desired, with charg ing stock.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, 1 designates a horiaontal shelltype dephlegmater or reflux condenser inside of which may he placed ahorizontal partition 2 so attached to the side Walls of the horizontaldephlegrnator 1 as to form a liquid seal and so perforated that shortgoosenecks 3 can he attached thereto in such a manner as to projectupward therefrom. These goosenechs fill are attached to partition 2 atstated intervals W from one end to the other. Interposed betweenpredetermined spaced goosenecks are overflow pipes at which are alsoattached to the partition 2 and which project upwardly therefrom for aheight such as to regulate the depth of the liquid pool maintained onthe partition.

The space below the partition 2 may be divided by u right or transversepartitions 5 into a num er of spaced and separated compartments. Thelower portion of-the partitions 5 may be preferably provided withperforations or apertures 5, whereby liquid overflowing from the pool onpartition 2 through the overflow pipe 4: may flow along the lower wallof dephlegmator 1 passing out through the last drawofi pipe 6.

The space above the partition 2 may be likewise divided into transversesections or compartments by means of partitions 7 which extend from thetop downwardly toward the partition 2, terminating at a point above thepartition 2 where they form a liquid seal between sections. In otherwords, the lower extremity of each partition 7 terminates at a pointbelow the top of each overflow pipe 4 whereby said extremity is belowthe liquid level of the pool of liquid maintained on partition 2. Thesepartitions 7 may, if desired,

be so placed longitudinally as to form a liquid seal adjacent eachoverflow pipe 4, the partitions 5, on the other hand, being so'locatedas to extend downwardly on the opposite side of the overflow pipes 4 ina longitudinal line. The goosenecks 3 may fill the space in each sectionnot occupied by the overflow pipe 4, said goosenecks extending upwardlyto a point above the top of the overflow pipes 4:

and then downwardly to a point below the top of said overflow pipes 4,which point, when-the dephlegmator is in operation, will be below thesurface of the body of liquidheld on the partition 2. It will be notedthat the liquid held on the partition 2 will be one continuous body-andwill not comprise separate pools in eachsection.

Vapors which may evolve in a concurrently operating or distillingprocess and which may comprise any kind of vapors, may be introducedthrough the vapor inlet line 8, which may be controlled by valve 8'.This vapor inlet line 8 may be disposed at one end of the shell 1 belowthe partition 2. From the top of the shell 1 above the last section fromthe inlet 8 a. dome 9 mayextend upwardly from the top of which mayproject the vapor line 10 controlled by valve 11, which vapor line maycommunicate with a final condenser (not shown).

The charging line 12 through which may be interposed any desired coolingmedium, such as regulated portions of charging stock may communicatewith a coil 16 disposed in the vapor space of the dome 9, functioning tointerchange heat and regulate the temperature of the vapors exitingthrough the vapor line 10. Or by closing valve 15, the liquid introducedthrough line 12 may be introduced directly through the line 13 in whichmay be interposed a valve 14. When charging through the coil 16, the oilafter circulating through the coil may continue through line 17, inwhich may be interposed valve 17 to the heating zone of a crackingprocess (not shown) if the dephlegmator is connected to the crackingprocess, or to any other medium desired. All or regulated portions maybe withdrawn through the by-17 b if desired.

A he intake of pump 18 is connected to the reflux line 6, and may takethe reflux condensate from the bottom of the dephlegmator 1 through line6 director throu 11 lines 6' controlled by valves 20. The ischarge fromthe pump 18 through line 21 may be directed into the charging line 17going to the cracking zone, or, if desired, the valve 22 may be closedand the valve 23 in line 24 opened whereby all or re ulated portions ofthe reflux condensate may be diverted from the line 21 into the line 24ratherfthan passed through the line 17. The line 24 returns regulatedportions of the reflux condensate to the upper portion of the horizontalshell 1 through the branch lines 25 in which may be interposed valves26. It is to be noted that there is a branch 25 communicating with eachof the compartments produced by the transverse partitions 7. I In someinstances it may be desirable to withdraw certain portions of the refluxcondensate directly from the shell 1, in which event the valves 27 inthe drawoflf lines 28 may be manipulated in an obvious manner.

In one embodiment of the invention an operation may be described asfollows:

Heated vapors. for instance, from a concurrently operating, distillingor cracking process may enter the dephlegmator through vapor inlet line8. During the travel of the vapors in thedephlegmator, said vapors arecaused to have an up and down travel, first through the first lowersection, then up through the goosenecks 3 into the first upper section,thence downthrough the first overflow pipe 4 into the second lowersection, thence up through the goosenecks 3 into the secondtop sectionand so on to the last top section where the vapors still remaininguncondensed pass out through the vapor line line 17 a controlled 1 10.The vapors which are condensed flow discharge below theliquid level ofthe pool maintained on the partition 2 whereby intimate contact betweenvapors and liquid 00- curs. At the same time vapors are prevented fromchannelling due to the\liquid seals formed at the hases of thepartitions 7 In addition, the pool of liquid maintained on the partition2 will be subjected to a certain amount of reboiling due to theheat ofthe vapors striking against thebottom of said. partition, thus relievingfrom the pool any light fractions which ina be entrained therein. Themaintenance this pool also complies with one of the requirements ofefficient dephleglnation, that maximum time be permitted for the liquidto be subjected to iractionating conditions.

lnstead of returning all of. the reflux condensate through the line 17,all or a portion of same may be intermittently diverted through the line24 and introduced into any of the compartments formed by thetransversely disposed partitions 7. This permits of a more closelycontrolled fractionation where such would he desirahle.

llli

By the present invention the known favorahle conditions for eilicientfractionation are provided for, and the temperature and characteristicsof the vapors exiting through the vapor outlet pipe can he definitelycontioned partition and projecting upwardly therefrom, the outlets fromsaid vapor risers heing disposed below the plane of the upper ends orthe liquid overflow pipes wherebya pool o fliquid is maintained on saidfirst mentioned partition, means for withdrawing reilua condensate fromthe bottom of the shell, and means for diverting regulated portions oithe reflux condensate withdrawn from the hottom of the shell to saidseparated compartment-s in the upper section.

v Q3. Apparatus for dephlegmation, comprismg a horizontally disposedshell, a partition therein dividing said shell into upper and lowersections, means comprising partitions in the upper and lower sectionsdividing same into longitudinally separated compartments, upwardlyprojecting vapor risers talring the term oft gooseneclrs attached to thefirst mentioned partition, separate liquid overflow pipes also attachedto said first mentioned partition and projecting upwardly therefrom, theoutlets from said vapor risers losing disposed helow the plane of theupper ends of the liquid overflow pipes whereloy a pool of liquid ismaintained on said first mentioned partition, means for withdrawingreflux condensate from the bottom of the shell, and means forselectively diverting regulated portions of the reflux condensatewithdrawn from the bottom of the shell to said separated compartments inthe upper section.

3. A dephlegmating apparatus comprising a horizontally disposed. shell,a partition dividing said shell into an upper section and a lowersection, additional partitions dividing the upper and lower sectionsinto lon tudinally separated compartments, means i l passing vaporsthrough said compartments, means for withdrawing condensate from thecompartments of said lower section, and means for introducing withdrawncondensate into any selected compartment of said upper section. 1

4. A dephlegmating apparatus comprising an elongated shell, a horizontalpartition dividing said shell into a lower section and an upper section,additional partitions dividing said upper section into a plurality ofupper compartment means for introducing vapors to said lower section andfor passing the same through said upper compartments in series, meansfor collecting a pool of condensate in each of said upper compartments,means for causing the vapors passing through said upper compartments topercolate through said pools, means for overflowing condensate from saidupper compartments into said lower section, means for withdrawingcondensate from said lower section, and means for introducing withdrawncondensate into the last upper compartment through which the vaporspass.

5. A dephlegmating apparatus comprisin an elongated shell, a horizontalpartition dividing said shell into a lower section and an upper section,additional partitions dividing said upper section into a plurality ofupper compartments, means for introducing vapors to said lower sectionand for passing the same through said upper compartments in series,means for collecting a pool of condensate in each of said uppercompartments, means for causing the vapors passing through said uppercompartments to percolate through said pools, means foroverflowingcondensate from said upper compartments: into said lower section, meansfor withdrawing condensate from said lower section, and means forintroducing withdrawn condensate into any selected compartment of saidupper section.-

6. A dephlegmating apparatus comprising an elongated shell, a horizontalpartition dividing said shell into a lower section and an upper section,additional partitions dividing said upper section into a plurality ofupper compartments, means for introducing vapors to'said lower sectionand for passing the same causing the vapors passing through said uppercompartments to percolate through said pools, means for overflowingcondensate from said upper compartments into said lower section, meansfor withdrawing condensate from said lower section, and means forintroducing withdrawn condensate into the last upper compartment throughwhich the Vapors pass, and additional means for introducing a secondliquid cooling medium to said last compartment.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

NEAL S. OLSEN.

